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6 Tips for Working with a Healthcare Recruiter – 9/13/2012

A healthcare recruiter – also known as a headhunter or a staffing firm – is a professional whose task it is to help you land your next allied health job. Recruiters often have information about job openings that aren't otherwise advertised, and can also offer insight into salaries, healthcare hiring trends, and ways to make yourself a more attractive applicant. They can help the job search process seem more manageable, and keep you from getting lost in the crowded sea of healthcare job seekers. Working with a healthcare recruiter might be just what you need to land your next job, but using a recruiter doesn't guarantee a job offer. Here are six tips for working with a recruiter:

Select Your Recruiter Carefully

Many healthcare recruiters specialize in a particular area of the industry. Others specialize in a geographic region. Get referrals from other allied health professionals, or send your resume to several recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise, before following up with a phone call to gauge their interest in finding a position for you. Select a recruiter whose style and specialization seems to closely match your own.

Understand Your Recruiter's Priorities

Who does your recruiter work for – you, or your potential boss? Because recruiters are hired and paid by the employer, ultimately their loyalty is to the employer. Still, skilled recruiters know that without great candidates, they have nothing. Often, recruiters only get paid when a job opening is filled by their candidate. For this reason, headhunters have good reason to serve as your advocate, to find you jobs that suit your expertise and your needs, and to guide you through the hiring process.

Be Flexible But Goal-Oriented

A recruiter will be able to help you best if you know what kind of job you're after. Be as specific as possible when you're explaining what type of job you want. However, be open to exploring possibilities that aren't what you had initially described as your dream job. Keep your options open, and avoid making demands, which will make a recruiter less willing to help you, even if you have top-notch credentials.

Take Advantage of Your Recruiter's Expertise

After years in the healthcare industry, recruiters have plenty of inside information to share with you, in addition to valuable tips to help you improve your resume and interviewing skills. All this knowledge and advice is available to give you an edge in the hiring process. Take advantage of any help your recruiter offers. After all, it's in their best interest to prepare you to land your next job.

Be Straightforward

Be up-front and honest about your salary requirements, and don't change them during the recruiting process. Also be upfront about any blemishes in your past that may prevent you from being hired. Your recruiter can't do their job if they don't know everything about your work history. If you've been fired, arrested, or have a previous employer who may not give you a glowing recommendation, let your recruiter know before you're in the middle of the hiring process.

Don't Neglect Your Own Job Search

While a healthcare recruiter can do a lot of the legwork involved in getting you a job, using a recruiter should be only part of your job search strategy. Most recruiters will encourage you to continue networking and pursuing advertised job openings on your own in addition to their efforts.